Get in zee car, Mister Bagswell!

Volume 1/Chapter 2/Page 20/Panel 5

Warren.

Friend, confidant and beer supplier to ol' Benton Bagswell.



As Bags lives above Warrens bar, The Lions Paw, its no wonder these two mugs became fast friends. His roll in all of this, like Warren's own past, is quite remarkable.



And the following is what Phil has to say about him:


Labor Days' Warren takes his name from Warren Zevon and much of his back-story from many of Zevon's songs.

A lot of people were introduced to pop music via The Beatles or Elvis or some shit.

Not me.

For me, it was all about the headless ghost of a Norwegian mercenary, stalking the night with a Thompson gun. Or a certain excitable boy, digging up the body of his prom date and making a cage with her bones. Or a werewolf walking with the queen. For me, it was all about Warren Zevon.

Point being, when I started writing Labor Days, Warren was conceived as an elaborate reference to Zevon; as a kind of tip of the hat to one of my biggest influences. His dialogue was littered with allusions.

Well, it's years now since that first draft. The level of Zevon reference in the character has been diminished and his role in the script has undergone some pretty severe retooling.

And, of course, the actual Warren is dead now. Far before his time, if you ask me.

Labor Days' Warren is Bags' confidant, companion and bartender. He runs the Lion's Paw, the pub directly below Bags' flat. He's a large, jovial fellow.

Put a little booze in him and he'll tell you tales of lawyers, guns and money; stories of gunmen in the Congo hard at jungle work. He knows how to drink and he knows how to fight and he's hiding not just a few secrets.

Now I'm gonna go listen to some Warren Zevon. I'd recommend you do the same. It'll do us all some good.

LD01pg023_ink

So I'm still doing pencils for the first volume. Staggering the last three chapters together as I get ramped up to start inking(half the book is scanned so far, and as I keep promising, i'm going to post up a bunch of pencils soon). I've begun some inking, nonetheless, ahead of schedule just to get my head ready and try out some different brushes. I have a few done so far and I'm very pleased with the results. Here's page 23. The last page of chapter one of five.



This was all done with a Windsor & Newton number 2 brush. I used a micron 01 for the straight lines and white ink for the touch ups.

Erzebet Bathory

Real name: Francine Finklestein.

Yes...she knows it ryhmes.



What's her roll in all this!?

Panel to motherflipping Panel

Hey all, I've finally started scanning pencil art for Labor Days: Volume 1: the Infinite Fiasco. I still have to eff with saturations and compile some loose panels, but there should be some fat posts coming up in the future about our artistic process from begining to end.

For now here's a panel from Chapter 2. Our girl, Victoria has just read some unpleasing news in her little folder there.



Also, if you havent seen it yet, Labor Days can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com. The release date should be for early fall. We've pushed it back a few months for printing reasons and basically to adhere more to my schedule (which is a pleasant way of saying I'm a bit behind.)
Labor Days @ Amazon

Lacy OUT!

2008: Year of the Mad Monk

Happy New Year from the two princes of Labor Days Towers!

LDs Top Videos of '07!

For your New Year's Eve enjoyment, I proudly present a collection of the five top videos of '07. These are the bite size video bits that have been highly influential on the young minds of Labor Days Towers.

Indulge please:

1. Boney M's "Rasputin" - It's the perfect mixture of historical fantasy and disco craziness. Watch it at least twice and then find yourself singing it in public by accident. Furthermore, can we please make 2008 the year of the Mad Monk?



2. The Trailer for John Boorman's "Zardoz" - It has been asked of me, more than a few times, what the hell the appeal is in Zardoz. Maybe this trailer will help you all figure it out? Either that or I'd have to type out a lengthy, meandering, poorly planned essay on film sci-fi. How about you just watch the trailer and then maybe the movie and see if you can find any nugglettes of enjoyment in them?



3. "Plate or Shrimp... or Plate of Shrimp" - Let it seep in. Possibly, the most profound moment in film history. Possibly.



4. "Good Serve. Good Serve." - This one's for Rick. Hang in there, Maverick.



5. Kate Bush "Cloudbusting" - Because no list of videos is complete without one appearance by Donald Sutherland (or Alan Rickman or possibly Davide Thewlis or Jeremy Irons... but they're not in this video and Donald is). Also, it has mad science! So let Kate Bush ring in '08 for you.



If you play all of these at once and close your eyes the conditions might just be right to touch infinity. And who doesn't want to do that?

Behind the Scenes Conversations

Much of the work of Labor Days is done over instant messenger. It's what allows me to work without my pants on and what allows Rick to hide the fact that he's constantly drawing Hermione Granger without her pants on.

Below is a little sample of some IM text for you to nibble upon. It pertains to the details of two of our characters, Leon and Antonio, dedicated revolutionists.

RICK:
If anyone asks, the Marxists drive around
in a big, black 1971 Cadilac Sedan de Ville
which used to belong to the King of Rock
and Roll.

ME:
Elvis?

RICK:
Hell yeah!

ME:
That makes no damn sense. But okay.

RICK:
Right?

NARRATOR:
Moments later…

ME:
I can't wait to do panel-by-panel commentary on
this book. I'll say things like "the Marxists
should be driving a tiny east bloc hold over
from Soviet Poland. Like a Trabant or something."
And you'll say things like "Yeah but look at
this savage Fukk Mobile I have them in!"

RICK:
Ha!

ME:
"…it fits their souls, not their politics,"
you'll add. And then I'll have to agree
with much sadness.

... And yes, our IM-versations do have narrators, thanks for asking.

Mr. Bagswell

See!? Jordan could totally play the kick-backed kid.

Pushing the pals, part 2: Jordan Smith

Jordan Smith is the man we want to play Bags in the (probably never to be made) Labor Days feature (or at the very least in some street team events).

He's a talented young actor, a firm believer in the healing powers of fantastical fiction, and he's the man I go to when I want to talk about Cormac McCarthy.

He's also starring in a lovely new webisode series that has just premiered. It's entitled Five to Six.

Watch Jordan now. And then, somewhere down the line, you can say you were there when it started.

Awake o Rama (Stumping for the box office)

"Awake" written and directed by Joby Harold opens this weekend. I highly recommend everyone see it.

And that's not just because I know and idolize Joby and used to work for the co-producer.

It's because it's a damn fine piece of filmmaking.

And it'll make you think Hayden ain't that bad.

And it'll make you wonder where Lena Olin has been all your life.

And it'll make you never want that heart surgery you were dying to have.

So, if it's playing near you this weekend, go see it. If it's not, get in your car and drive to where it is playing. Or get someone who lives where it is playing, to see it for you and tell you all about it.

Cheers for Awake!

Hip-Hip-Hooray!

P.S. by Rickle Lacypants: "I almost did storyboards for this film! We luvs the Jobi!"

I Did Had Fun Writing It

Script is done.

Notions and ideas for Volume 2 are swirling.

Knee deep in a new project, soon to be announced.

Not sure when our release date is.

If I could figure out how to do something like the following video in comic book form, it would be really amazing.



Busby Berkely. A revolutionary of a different sort.

My favorite thing about these things is that they always start with a curtain raising. As if those ridiculously complicated geometric synchronized dances (later in the video) would make half as much sense seen live and without the benefit of a high angle camera and a damn clever editor.

I guess what I'm saying is, "Eat it, live theater."

Up the Bags... the blog is back.

WOW! Where have we been?!

Well I'll tell you. Right here. Working on whats bound to be your new favorite graphic novel, Labor Days: Vol. One; A Tale of Comedic Miss-adventures and Guns. I feel ashamed that i haven't paid enough attention as of late to the ol' LD blog. Ironicly, its because I've been paying so much darn attention to the actual book.

As I type this i realized i haven't scanned hardly any art into my computer and my scanner is at the studio, and my cozy little butt is sitting on the couch at home. So for now I'll leave you with the comic pages we used to pitch Labor Days to Oni press. I think these might be pushing almost three years old. Sheesh!







I also got a haircut today. Not as short as i wanted, but still awesome.

Thoughts from a Tuesday

It's a pretty lame Tuesday over here. Let me give you a run down of what I've learned today:

- Southland Tales, the follow-up to Donnie Darko, sounds just as full of promise and disappointment as Darko itself. I found the earlier film to be not quite as smart as it was pretending to be, but frustratingly close to being something really special.

- I will never stop loving Gary Numan. I have a funny story about drinking too much and Gary Numan. But I'll save that for another time.

- Michael Chabon did a treatment for the first X-men movie that didn't feature any super villains. It was all character development within the x-team. I think that idea is just as smart as it is pretending to be.

- There is a damn fancy bus service that goes between D.C. and NYC.

- David Cronenberg was interviewed by the Guardian recently. He's so dreamy.

And that's it. The summation of Tuesday.

Rick's out there somewhere. Drawing and looking great doing it.

Across Town

Take a stroll across the internet to visit the blog of loyal LD supporter Tom Bayne.

It's called Modernarthur.

Some things Tom Bayne Does:

- Works on Venture Brothers
- Lives in Greenpoint
- Dates the lead singer of a band called Clean & Nasty
- Enjoys the works of Steven Coogan
- Thinks a lot about his home town of Butler
- Works for Arli$$, but only under duress

I also highly recommend the archives at Modern Arthur. They're found here.

Here's a Labor Days themed post from way back in '05. Look at how strange Bags looks. And dig all those panels that have been lost in the wreckage of the re-writes.

The Next Saturday Night

It's Saturday night again. And this week I have demanded that the lower levels of Labor Days' Towers remain active all night stitching and mending and designing for me an outfit to rival the young Master Churchill's.

Next week I may start posting about some books I've been reading. Or something interesting like that.

But for now, I have to go downstairs and whip the tailors. I need this sweet suit, as soon as possible.

Saturday Night

The lights are dim at Labor Days' Towers as AMC is showing the final night of their Hitchcock fest.

I find my mind wandering to two things.

1) Hitchcock was a bastard genius.

And more can be learned about both film and mankind in general from one of his films than from most of the last 20 years of American filmmaking.

2) Saul Bass.

I'm captivated by Saul Bass and his ilk. The type of film professional who is a complete madman; talented and essential. But who is, in a sense, unsung. Walter Murch is another one like him.

Rick owes you folks 2 character bios now. Both are written and sitting in his e-mail.

Crossing the Finish Line

So I've just finished the script for Volume 1.

It feels a bit weird. Like I've finished a term paper or something and am now waiting for grades.

This is how it ends:

I kind of hate that for a parting line of dialogue. But that's what editing is for.

So that's it. My part is mostly done. Now I just get to play around on the blog till release date.

And post links to some things. Like this. M. John Harrison being a smart bastard.

Stay tuned for more character bios from Rickle.

Up the Bloody Bags!

Victoria Arnheim

Bio Number 1: Victoria in Ten Parts
Written by Phil Gelatt





1- She was born and raised in an experimental home for the mentally unbalanced (read: asylum), daughter of its controversial head doctor. She never knew her mother.

2- She has a younger brother for whom she cares very much.

3- She is a bit unbalanced but he is homicidally insane.

.

4- They both work for their father as he attempts to remake the human psyche. She works in retrieval services, he works in the first phases of patient re-education

5- She believes most buildings would look better if they were on fire. She swears it's an aesthetic thing not a political thing.

6- She has tried to date 4 inmates of the asylum.

-Bill and Tony both died during various stages of illegal surgery. Bill had long black hair and liked to play his cell bars like drums. Tony had a mustache and a cute nose. She liked Bill more than Tony.

-Terence was driven to incoherence by an experimental treatment based on certain techniques used in the 1990 capture of Manuel Noriega.

- John was the cutest, but his supremely paranoid nature prevented him from getting over the idea that Victoria was a KGB plant and only after certain secrets that only he knew.

After their first kiss, he did, in fact, reveal these secrets to her. They included two recipes for pickles (one for sweet and one for dill) and an incoherent explanation of the many branches of the secret government of Easter Island.

Their relationship ended soon after.



7- She is quite lonely.

8- Once she sat on the roof of the asylum and tried to dream about what her life would have been like elsewhere. When she failed, she went back inside and found the moanings, the jabberings and the silences of the inmates comforting. That was a year ago.

9- If asked, she'd say her favorite film genre is romantic-comedy, pause, and then add that she thinks Hugh Grant acts too much with his eyebrows.

10- She knows that a better world is possible. She learned that much from her father. It might just take some vision and kerosene.



Rick Lacy's 2 damn cents:

Creating Victoria was the easiest of the three main characters. I had a pretty decent idea of what I wanted her to look like. Strong, cocky and bit filled out in all the right places. She's careless, for sure, in at least her attitude so I wanted to reflect that along with her penchant for bucking the system in her attire. In the first drafts she had no glasses or freckles. She was a straight haired brunette. A friend suggested the glasses to add extra quirk and I decided on freckles to push it even further. Her hair then became (dyed)red and a bit wild to make her more a symbol of fire.

Curing Reality.

(An IMversation between Rick and me. About a year and a half ago. About a project that has yet to come to fruition, denoted by "HU".)

RICK
Dark Horse isn't really going to see much HU.
Most people aren't.

ME
Most people won't... until they get their comp copy.
Until everyone in the U.S. gets their comp copy.
No...
Everyone.
In.
The.
World.
Free HU for everyone!
Rick, listen...
It'll cure heroin addiction.
It'll cure homosexuality and heterosexuality.
It'll cure death.
It'll cure night time
and storms.
It'll cure male pattern baldness
and fat childrenitis
and it'll help kittens stay cute
and it'll help puppies with only three legs
see that everything is okay
and it'll help crack babies find crack.
Because, Rick, they need HU, but they need
crack more.
Because we're going to save the fucking world with this stuff.

RICK:
Uh...

ME:
The whole world.
One household at a time.
And even if you don't have a household,
we'll save you anyway.
Poor little Sudan boys will read it
and their eyes will clear
and their bellies will fill
and they'll know it's time!
Time for a better world.

RICK:
Can I shine a ray of reality here for a moment?

ME:
No, Rick, we're curing reality.
No more reality!
For anyone!
We're free now.

(Photo by Charles Lavoie. Taken three nights ago. See that off-kilter smile? I'm still trying to save you all, whether you like it or not)

(In other news, Rick has yet to post those character bios he promised us)